Exorcist

MITRE ATT&CK does not currently catalogue Exorcist, so this is our assessment of the techniques it uses, drawn from public reporting. The techniques themselves, and every "what that means" definition below, come from MITRE ATT&CK v19.2. Confidence: low. Treat it as orientation, not attribution.

1. T1059.001 PowerShell Execution

   What they do: exorcist executes malicious commands via PowerShell scripts to stage payloads and evade detection.

   What that means: Adversaries may abuse PowerShell commands and scripts for execution.

2. T1547.001 Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder PersistencePrivilege Escalation

   What they do: exorcist persists via Registry Run Keys and startup folders to ensure recurring execution.

   What that means: Adversaries may achieve persistence by adding a program to a startup folder or referencing it with a Registry run key.

3. T1685 Disable or Modify Tools Defense Impairment

   What they do: exorcist disables security tools like Windows Defender and AV processes to prevent system recovery.

   What that means: Adversaries may disable, degrade, or tamper with security tools or applications (e.g., endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, intrusion detection systems (IDS), antivirus, logging agents, sensors, etc.) to impair or reduce visibility of defensive capabilities.

4. T1027.013 Encrypted/Encoded File Stealth

   What they do: exorcist encrypts and encodes victim data using symmetric cryptography to ensure irreversible access denial.

   What that means: Adversaries may encrypt or encode files to obfuscate strings, bytes, and other specific patterns to impede detection.

5. T1070.004 File Deletion Stealth

   What they do: exorcist deletes Volume Shadow Copies and backup directories using vssadmin and file deletion commands.

   What that means: Adversaries may delete files left behind by the actions of their intrusion activity.

6. T1003.001 LSASS Memory Credential Access

   What they do: exorcist dumps credentials from LSASS memory using tools like Mimikatz to access other systems.

   What that means: Adversaries may attempt to access credential material stored in the process memory of the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS).

7. T1049 System Network Connections Discovery Discovery

   What they do: exorcist discovers system network connections to identify high-value targets and C2 communication paths.

   What that means: Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of network connections to or from the compromised system they are currently accessing or from remote systems by querying for information over the network.

8. T1135 Network Share Discovery Discovery

   What they do: exorcist discovers network shares using SMB enumeration to identify additional victims for encryption.

   What that means: Adversaries may look for folders and drives shared on remote systems as a means of identifying sources of information to gather as a precursor for Collection and to identify potential systems of interest for Lateral Movement.

9. T1021.002 SMB/Windows Admin Shares Lateral Movement

   What they do: exorcist moves laterally across the network by exploiting SMB/Windows Admin Shares to encrypt remote systems.

   What that means: Adversaries may use Valid Accounts to interact with a remote network share using Server Message Block (SMB).

10. T1486 Data Encrypted for Impact Impact

    What they do: exorcist encrypts victim files with custom ransomware binaries, targeting documents and backups for impact.

    What that means: Adversaries may encrypt data on target systems or on large numbers of systems in a network to interrupt availability to system and network resources.

11. T1490 Inhibit System Recovery Impact

    What they do: exorcist calls system recovery inhibitors like kill.bat to prevent automatic restoration attempts.

    What that means: Adversaries may delete or remove built-in data and turn off services designed to aid in the recovery of a corrupted system to prevent recovery.

12. T1491.001 Internal Defacement Impact

    What they do: exorcist performs internal defacement by replacing victim files with ransom notes and altered content.

    What that means: An adversary may deface systems internal to an organization in an attempt to intimidate or mislead users, thus discrediting the integrity of the systems.